(from Churchill Downs)
Six debut winners at Keeneland, a record-setting filly from Maryland and a West Coast invader highlight a field of nine 2-year-olds entered for the $100,000 Kentucky Juvenile Stakes (gr. III) at Churchill Downs April 30.
There were 49 juveniles nominated for the five-furlong event, which has been won seven times in its previous 20 renewals by fillies. Five fillies have been entered for the first graded stakes for 2-year-olds in 2009, including smashing first-out winners Jealous Again and Gator Prowl.
Jealous Again, owned by Robert Abrams, Mitch Dutko and Wesley Ward and trained by Ward, won the first 2-year-old race of the recently concluded Keeneland meet by 11 1/4 lengths over nine rivals on April 3. Rene Douglas will be aboard for the first time, and they break from post position 2.
Gator Prowl, owned by Danny Divver and John Salzman Jr. and trained by Salzman, won her debut at Laurel Park on April 9 by 11 1/2 lengths and broke a 45-year-old track record for the 4 1/2-furlong distance with a clocking of :52.11. Jonathan Joyce, who was aboard for that win, has the riding assignment.
Other debut Keeneland winners in the field are Steven Bell’s Aegean, Heiligbrodt Racing Stable’s duo of Heavenville and Kinsolving, Twin Creeks Racing Stable’s Mission Impazible , and J. Kirk Robison’s Western Smoke. Aegean and Kinsolving are fillies.
Coming in from Southern California is Kitty in the Bag, a 3 1/4-length winner at Santa Anita over two furlongs on April for owners Elizabeth and Patrick Everard. The filly is trained by veteran Mel Stute and will be ridden by Joe Talamo from post position 3.
Trainer Steve Asmussen, who has saddled the Kentucky Juvenile winner five times, will be represented by Heavenville, Kinsolving and Western Smoke.
$100,000 Kentucky Juvenile Stakes (gr. III, Race 9, 4:59 p.m.), 2-Year-Olds, 5 Furlongs
PP. Horse, Weight, Jockey
1. Aegean (FL), 117, Elvis Trujillo
2. Jealous Again (FL), 117, Rene R. Douglas
3. Kitty in the Bag (FL), 117, Joseph Talamo
4. Western Smoke (KY), 120, Brian J. Hernandez, Jr.
5. Kinsolving (KY), 117, Shaun Bridgmohan
6. Heavenville (LA), 120, Robby Albarado
7. Mission Impazible (KY), 120, John R. Velazquez
8. Seattle Court (KY), 118, Calvin H. Borel
9. Gator Prowl (FL), 117, Jonathan Joyce